logo
Crew wounded and missing in attack on ship off Yemen

Crew wounded and missing in attack on ship off Yemen

Perth Now07-07-2025
Two crew of a Greek-managed vessel have been wounded and two are missing in a drone attack off Yemen, hours after Iran-aligned Houthi militants claimed an assault on another bulk carrier in the Red Sea, saying the ship had sunk.
Monday's attack 50 nautical miles southwest of the port of Hodeidah was the second assault against merchant vessels in the vital shipping corridor by Houthis since November 2024, said an official at the European Union's Operation Aspides, assigned to help protect Red Sea shipping.
The Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier Eternity C with 22 members on board - 21 Filipinos and one Russian - was attacked with sea drones and skiffs, its manager Cosmoship Management told Reuters.
Two crew were seriously wounded and two were missing, the company said, adding that three armed security guards were on board. The vessel's bridge was hit and telecommunications were impacted.
The ship was adrift, an Aspides official said later, after an attack by sea drones and four speedboats with individuals who launched at least four rocket-propelled grenades. The ship had not requested escort or protection from the naval force, the official added.
There was no claim of responsibility for the attack.
Earlier, the Houthis claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack on the Greek-operated MV Magic Seas bulk carrier off southwest Yemen. The raid involved gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades from eight skiffs as well as missiles and four uncrewed surface vessels.
The 19 crew members were forced to abandon the Liberian-flagged vessel as it was taking on water. They were picked up by a passing ship and have arrived safely in Djibouti, sources said.
Houthis said they sunk the vessel. But Michael Bodouroglou, a representative of Stem Shipping, one of the ship's commercial managers, said there was no independent verification.
Since Israel's war in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group Hamas began in October 2023, the Houthis have been attacking Israel and vessels in the Red Sea in what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel has struck Houthi targets in response, launching strikes on Monday for the first time in nearly a month. A US-Houthi ceasefire deal in May did not include Israel.
The latest attacks highlight a growing operational risk to commercial operators whose vessels have called at Israeli ports, maritime security firm Diaplous said.
John Xylas, chairman of the dry bulk shipping association Intercargo, said the crew were "innocent people, simply doing their jobs, keeping global trade moving".
"No one at sea should ever face such violence," he said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump says he wants Musk to 'thrive' as Epstein scrutiny continues
Trump says he wants Musk to 'thrive' as Epstein scrutiny continues

ABC News

timean hour ago

  • ABC News

Trump says he wants Musk to 'thrive' as Epstein scrutiny continues

US President Donald Trump says he does not want to destroy Elon Musk's businesses and has expressed hopes that they "thrive" alongside the US economy. Mr Trump made the comments on his Truth Social platform on Thursday morning local time, over a month after the pair had a public falling out which eventually led the world's richest man to found an alternative political party. "Everyone is stating that I will destroy Elon's companies by taking away some, if not all, of the large scale subsidies he receives from the U.S. Government. This is not so!," Mr Trump said. "I want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE." The US president and the tech billionaire had been close allies before and for the months after Mr Trump began his second term. But relations between the two soured after Mr Musk criticised the president's "big beautiful bill" legislation for adding trillions to US government's debt and undermining his so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Mr Trump has maintained the space and automotive billionaire was unhappy because the bill would remove incentives for consumers to buy electric vehicles, such as those made by Tesla. A week after the spat in June, Reuters reported the White House had directed the Defense Department and NASA to gather details on billions of dollars in SpaceX contracts to ready possible retaliation against the Mr Musk and his companies. Mr Trump also publicly pondered whether to deport Mr Musk, who is a naturalised US citizen. On Wednesday, the tech billionaire also warned investors that US government cuts to electric vehicle makers could lead to a "rough few quarters" for Tesla. Before the relationship soured, Mr Musk had spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help Mr Trump win November's presidential election and led the Department of Government Efficiency's chaotic effort to slash the budget and cut the federal workforce. Mr Trump's new-found warmth for Mr Musk comes as he faces considerable and sustained pressure from some of his own supporters over his handling of the Epstein case. During their public spat, Mr Musk posted and then deleted that Mr Trump's name was mentioned in files related to Jeffrey Epstein. On Thursday local time, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was scheduled to meet Ghislane Maxwell, who was convicted of trafficking minors on behalf of the deceased paedophile and financier. Multiple US media outlets reported Mr Blanche as expected to interview Maxwell at a federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida. Maxwell, the daughter of the late British press baron Robert Maxwell, is the only former Epstein associate who was convicted in connection with his activities, which right-wing conspiracy theorists allege included trafficking young models for VIPs. Reuters/AFP

Australian traveller found dead at Thai hotel
Australian traveller found dead at Thai hotel

The Advertiser

timean hour ago

  • The Advertiser

Australian traveller found dead at Thai hotel

An Australian man has been found dead, with a mobile phone on his chest, in a hotel room on the Thai holiday island of Phuket. Hotel staff found the body of a man in his early 20s on Wednesday morning, according to Reuters and local media. The man had been in a recent motorcycle crash and had died with his mobile phone on his chest, according to media reports. Police lieutenant colonel Thanom Thongpaen said the man was still on a call when the body was discovered. "The line hadn't been disconnected and he had died like that. There were no signs of struggle or anything suspicious," he told Reuters. "It appeared he had been on the call for about 12 hours. The phone screen had gone dark, but we could still see the call duration and confirm he was on a call." His arm was bandaged. Authorities are yet to release the name of the man, who was born in India but has an Australian passport. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Thailand, a spokeswoman said. "Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment," the spokeswoman said. with Reuters An Australian man has been found dead, with a mobile phone on his chest, in a hotel room on the Thai holiday island of Phuket. Hotel staff found the body of a man in his early 20s on Wednesday morning, according to Reuters and local media. The man had been in a recent motorcycle crash and had died with his mobile phone on his chest, according to media reports. Police lieutenant colonel Thanom Thongpaen said the man was still on a call when the body was discovered. "The line hadn't been disconnected and he had died like that. There were no signs of struggle or anything suspicious," he told Reuters. "It appeared he had been on the call for about 12 hours. The phone screen had gone dark, but we could still see the call duration and confirm he was on a call." His arm was bandaged. Authorities are yet to release the name of the man, who was born in India but has an Australian passport. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Thailand, a spokeswoman said. "Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment," the spokeswoman said. with Reuters An Australian man has been found dead, with a mobile phone on his chest, in a hotel room on the Thai holiday island of Phuket. Hotel staff found the body of a man in his early 20s on Wednesday morning, according to Reuters and local media. The man had been in a recent motorcycle crash and had died with his mobile phone on his chest, according to media reports. Police lieutenant colonel Thanom Thongpaen said the man was still on a call when the body was discovered. "The line hadn't been disconnected and he had died like that. There were no signs of struggle or anything suspicious," he told Reuters. "It appeared he had been on the call for about 12 hours. The phone screen had gone dark, but we could still see the call duration and confirm he was on a call." His arm was bandaged. Authorities are yet to release the name of the man, who was born in India but has an Australian passport. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Thailand, a spokeswoman said. "Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment," the spokeswoman said. with Reuters An Australian man has been found dead, with a mobile phone on his chest, in a hotel room on the Thai holiday island of Phuket. Hotel staff found the body of a man in his early 20s on Wednesday morning, according to Reuters and local media. The man had been in a recent motorcycle crash and had died with his mobile phone on his chest, according to media reports. Police lieutenant colonel Thanom Thongpaen said the man was still on a call when the body was discovered. "The line hadn't been disconnected and he had died like that. There were no signs of struggle or anything suspicious," he told Reuters. "It appeared he had been on the call for about 12 hours. The phone screen had gone dark, but we could still see the call duration and confirm he was on a call." His arm was bandaged. Authorities are yet to release the name of the man, who was born in India but has an Australian passport. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Thailand, a spokeswoman said. "Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment," the spokeswoman said. with Reuters

International media groups urge Israel to allow access to Gaza
International media groups urge Israel to allow access to Gaza

News.com.au

time7 hours ago

  • News.com.au

International media groups urge Israel to allow access to Gaza

International news agencies Agence France-Presse (AFP), Associated Press (AP) and Reuters as well as the BBC on Thursday called on Israel to allow journalists in and out of Gaza, which is subject to a strict blockade. "We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families," the media groups said in a joint statement. They added that "journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in war zones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them." "We once again urge the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza. It is essential that adequate food supplies reach the people there," they concluded. With Gaza sealed off, many media groups around the world depend on photo, video and text coverage of the conflict provided by Palestinian reporters to international news agencies such as AFP. International criticism is growing over the plight of the more than two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, where more than 100 aid and rights groups have warned that "mass starvation" is spreading. Since the war started following the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas, a small number of journalists have been able to enter Gaza only with the Israeli army and under strict military censorship rules. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in early July that more than 200 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the war began. - Evacuations - AFP news agency has published accounts of life inside Gaza from its reporters this week. It has said it is concerned about "the appalling situation" they face due to a daily struggle to find food. "We have no energy left due to hunger and lack of food," said Omar al-Qattaa, a 35-year-old AFP photographer shortlisted for a Pulitzer Prize earlier this year. "Obtaining food in Gaza is extremely difficult. Even when it is available, prices are multiplied by 100," video journalist Youssef Hassouna said. Israel says humanitarian aid is being allowed in and accuses Hamas of exploiting civilian suffering, including by stealing food handouts to sell at inflated prices or shooting at those awaiting aid. The World Health Organization's chief warned on Wednesday of widespread starvation in Gaza, saying food deliveries into the territory were "far below what is needed for the survival of the population". Witnesses and Gaza's civil defence agency have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing on aid seekers. The UN said the military had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food since late May. AFP succeeded in evacuating eight staff members and their families from Gaza between January and April 2024, after months of effort. - 'Starving' - The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a media freedom group, said in a statement on Wednesday that Israel was "starving Gazan journalists into silence". "They are not just reporters, they are frontline witnesses, abandoned as international media were pulled out and denied entry," CPJ regional director Sara Qudah was quoted as saying. Many Palestinian journalists have spoken out or posted about their exhaustion, with Sally Thabet, a correspondent for Al-Kofiya satellite channel, fainting after a live broadcast this week, the CPJ said. Doha-based Al Jazeera, the most influential Arabic media group, also called for global action to protect Gaza's journalists on Tuesday. The channel, which has been banned in Israel, has had five of its reporters killed since the start of the conflict in what it says is a deliberate targeting campaign by Israel. In some cases, Israel has accused reporters of being "terror operatives", such as when it killed a Gaza-based Al Jazeera staff journalist and freelancer last year -- allegations condemned by the Qatari news network. "We know that probably most journalists inside Gaza are operating under the auspices of Hamas, and until Hamas is destroyed, they will not be allowed to report freely," Israeli government spokesman David Mercer told a press conference last December. adp/jj

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store